Title: Jaws
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer(s): Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb
Release Date: June 20, 1975
Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Murray Hamilton, Lorraine Gary
Jaws Cliff’s Notes
A shark starts chomping down on the residents of tourist-trap Amity Island. It’s up to the chief of police, as well as a Shark Biologist and the local salty dog, to take on the big guy. Nom, nom, nom ensues.
Lecture
After checking out the so-so shark flick The Shallows this summer, I wanted to revisit the go-to big shark flick, Jaws. The result: pretty darn awesome.
Jaws plays like a big budget monster movie, something that allows it a fair amount of leniency when it comes to crafting its set up. Sure, the audience knows not to go in the water – something expertly mirrored in our protagonist, Chief Brody – but the conflict that drives the first and second act is proving the shark exists, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to watch swimmers get chomped.
And once the third act hits, the roller coaster has gone over the edge and the wild ride begins. The ensuing cat and mouse chase through the open ocean stands out as one of the greatest man vs. nature outings since Ahab tried to take out that whale. Furthermore, Jaws gets all kinds of milage from not showing the shark until the perfect moment. And once he’s on the scene, Bruce isn’t taking prisoners. This is a lean, mean flick; one that rocks its simple conflict and take it to a whole new level.
Acting
The trifecta of Scheider, Shaw, and Dreyfuss give fantastic performances. Dreyfuss is especially strong, giving a grounded, layered effort. Gary and Hamilton are also spot-on in their supporting roles.
Directing
Spielberg knocks his many opportunities out of the park, crafting a flick that rock tension, humor, and drama. The script allows him to avoid some young director pratfalls – the group scenes are occasionally chaotic and the townsfolk a touch cartoon-y – and his cast covers the rest.
Script
Gottlieb and Benchley tone down some of the books annoying side-plots and focus more on the conflict between the characters and the shark. The result is a perfectly paced flick with numerous outstanding moments and a surprising amount of depth. The characters are all well drawn, even the morally questionable mayor has layers, which adds to Jaws’ overall strength.
Effects
Despite the fact that this puppy rocks a PG rating, we get all kinds of red stuff. A smattering of arms and legs get to hang out with what has to be the bloodiest murder in PG history. And the shark looks… passable… It’s actually not great, but it spends most of the flick off camera, so that helps.
Highlights
A toss up between the USS Indianapolis speech or the amazing score.
Lowlights
This indirectly creates Jaws: The Revenge.
Final Thoughts
This is, by far, the one of the best monster movies ever made. Spielberg’s work, combined with a fantastic cast and script, make Jaws a winner.